The situation, obstacles and prospects for coverage of culture in Palestinian media was the subject of a May 24, 2016 conference jointly sponsored by Birzeit University’s Media Department and the Ministry of Culture.

Throughout the conference, prominent journalists, writers and intellectuals tackled a range of issues related to the relationship between media and culture. The participants agreed on the importance of enhancing media students’ knowledge of cultural media by organizing regular workshops and training courses that will enable them to expand coverage of culture in the Palestinian media.

Faculty of Arts Dean Majdi Malki said that this conference explores the role media plays in safeguarding the Palestinian identity, promoting Palestinian culture, and supporting the Palestinian cause.

“Media is a mediator between culture and society development,” Majdi continued. “Media in Palestine should offer public space for cultural knowledge and discourse. The scholarly papers that were presented today aim to raise awareness of the significance, scale and topicality of the tasks if media is to be integrated with rich knowledge and culture.”

Minister of Culture Ehab Bseiso emphasized the power of culture as a way of fighting extinction and obliteration. “Culture is our tool for resistance. Promotion and protection of the Palestinian narrative is a fundamental platform on which intercultural dialogue can be constructed. Without this, the world will never know the real story behind the Palestinian cause.”

Bseiso called the conference “an essential step to outline policies and a professional strategy to better engage cultural issues in our media channels.” He then urged the public sector and social and academic institutions to multiply their efforts and organize roundtables, conferences and other activities, in order to share ideas and experiences and find ways to enhance the cultural infrastructure in Palestine and better convey cultural productions to the public through media.